[governance] : "It is crucial to address who and what shapes the Internet today" - UN expert on cultural rights

Sun May 20 03:29:07 EDT 2012

Hi all

See as below a statement issued by the UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural 
Rights, noting that "it is crucial to address who and what shapes the 
Internet today". Welcoming the yesterday's meeting on enhanced 
cooperation, the statement underlines the urgency to arrive at a global 
consensus on Internet governance and architecture.

The statement also stresses the need to uphold the principle of network 
neutrality. (We ourselves think it is important to bring the discussion 
about this basic architectural principle of the Internet to global IG 
spaces, which really hasnt happened in an effective manner. The manner 
in which the issue of global network neutrality remains unaddressed also 
quite effectively highlights the problem of 'what happens next' after a 
global IG issue has been discussed and re-discussed in the IGF) .

BTW, we are also happy to note that the Special Rapporteur takes a 
positive note of the civil society joint statement 
<http://www.itforchange.net/civil_society_statement_on_democratic_internet> 
on democratisation of global governance of the Internet, (issued by more 
that 50 CS organisations).

parminder , IT for Change

------------------------------------------------------------------------

*(issued as received)*

M/12/15
18 May 2012

*"It is crucial to address who and what shapes the Internet today" -- UN 
expert on cultural rights*

(GENEVA. 18 May 2012) -- "With the Internet becoming such a powerful 
medium through which individuals exercise a wide range of human rights, 
it is crucial to address who and what shapes the Internet today," said 
the United Nations Special Rapporteur on cultural rights, Farida 
Shaheed, adding that a "human-rights based approach to the issue should 
always be adopted".

"Since the Internet is essentially a global resource, it is crucial that 
appropriate Internet governance supports the right of everyone to have 
access to and use information and communication technologies in 
self-determined and empowering ways," Ms. Shaheed stressed prior to 
today's meeting in Geneva of the UN Commission on Science and Technology 
for Development to discuss policy issues regarding Internet governance.*

Given the urgency to arrive at a global consensus on Internet governance 
and architecture, the Special Rapporteur welcomed the first steps taken 
to discuss these issues in an inclusive way, noting the demand expressed 
by some civil society organizations for a democratization of the global 
governance of the Internet.

"The Internet has become a key element for the enjoyment and the 
promotion of human rights such as the right to freedom of opinion and 
expression, including the right to seek, receive and impart information 
and ideas of all kinds regardless of frontiers; the right to share and 
enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications; the 
right to participate in cultural life and engage with others through 
inter-cultural dialogue; as well as the right to development," she noted.

"As such, it can also play an important role to promote democratic 
participation, accountability, transparency and economic development", 
Ms. Shaheed said. "It is therefore vital to safeguard the immense 
potential of the Internet to promote human rights, and to maintain it as 
a global resource for all to enjoy."

Ms. Shaheed underlined the need to ensure that the Internet is not 
parceled into 'national spheres' and to guard against any monopolistic 
appropriation of the Internet, which could seriously reduce the public 
spaces where social actors interact as equals. In her view, "it is 
important that Internet governance policies and architecture promote 
public spaces on the Internet and be based on open and public standards."

Moreover, she highlighted that discussions surrounding policy issues 
should seek to pinpoint basic principles to guide the development of the 
architecture of the Internet, fully taking into consideration all human 
rights and the principles of equality and non-discrimination. "The 
principle of net neutrality, whereby all content is treated equally over 
the Internet, is a foundational principle of the Internet and should be 
upheld", she stressed.

"The Internet started as a collegial enterprise of communication and 
sharing informed by the principles of equality, non-interference and 
non-hierarchy," the Special Rapporteur said. "Its architecture was 
constructed in a manner which ensured that the flow of content was 
independent of the carrier infrastructure, making it very difficult for 
anyone to control the flows on the Internet. It is essential that these 
basic elements that make Internet such a unique and important tool for 
communication are maintained."

(*) The UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development of the 
Economic and Social Council will hold an open, interactive meeting on 
enhanced cooperation on public policy issues relating to the Internet on 
18 May 2012, in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting involves Member States 
and other stakeholders, particularly those from developing countries, 
including the private sector, civil society and international 
organizations, with a view to identifying a shared understanding about 
enhanced cooperation on public policy issues pertaining to the Internet, 
in accordance with paragraphs 34 and 35 of the Tunis Agenda.

ENDS

/Ms. Farida Shaheed took up her functions as Independent Expert and then 
Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights in August 2009. She 
has worked for more than 25 years promoting and protecting cultural 
rights by fostering policies and projects designed in culturally 
sensitive ways to support the rights of marginalized sectors, including 
women, peasants, and religious and ethnic minorities. Ms. Shaheed has 
been the recipient of several national and international human rights 
awards, and is an experienced participant in negotiations at 
international, regional and national levels. /

/Learn more about the mandate and work of the Special Rapporteur: 
//http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/cultural_rights/index.htm// /

/For inquiries and media requests, please contact Ms. Mylène Bidault (+ 
41* *22 917 9254 // /mbidault at ohchr.org/ <mailto:mbidault at ohchr.org>/) 
//or Marcelo Daher (+41 22 917 9431 / //mdaher at ohchr.org/ 
<mailto:mdaher at ohchr.org>/) or write to //ieculturalrights at ohchr.org/ 
<mailto:ieculturalrights at ohchr.org>/./

For *media inquiries* related to other UN Special Rapporteurs:
Xabier Celaya, UN Human Rights -- Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / 
xcelaya at ohchr.org <mailto:xcelaya at ohchr.org>)

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__________

/For use of the information media; not an official record/

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